Apple gives update on the App Store and its key protections
Ryan Christo·2026-05-20·via 9to5Mac
Ahead of Apple’s annual developer conference next month, Apple has shared an update on how the App Store serves users and developers alike with numerous protections.
Apple explains how the App Store prevents harm to users and developers
Today Apple has published a lengthy overview of the steps it takes to protect users and developers from harm. It says the App Store now welcomes over 850 million weekly visitors across 175 storefronts.
As the company puts it, this effort takes continuous improvement and innovation. Per the press release:
As the digital landscape expands, malicious actors continue to evolve their methods, often using deceptive tactics to target consumers and legitimate businesses. To outpace these challenges, Apple continuously improves its multilayered defenses, leveraging a combination of expert human review and advanced machine learning technologies to detect and stop malicious activity.
Here are some of the key data points covering 2025 alone:
Apple prevented over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions
Blocked bad actors from distributing malicious software by rejecting over 2 million problematic app submissions
Apple’s systems successfully rejected 1.1 billion fraudulent customer account creations
Deactivated 40.4 million customer accounts for fraud and abuse
Terminated 193,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns and rejected more than 138,000 developer enrollments
Detected and blocked 28,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts, which include malware, pornography apps, gambling apps, and pirated versions of legitimate App Store apps
App Review evaluated more than 9.1 million app submissions
Welcomed over 306,000 new developers to the platform
Removed nearly 59,000 apps that engaged in bait-and-switch forms of financial fraud
Rejected over 22,000 submissions for containing hidden or undocumented features; over 371,000 submissions that copied other apps, were found to be spam, or otherwise misled users; and over 443,000 submissions for privacy violations
Apple identified and blocked close to 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews from ever appearing
For more details and additional updates on Apple’s latest work related to the App Store, you can read the full piece here.
